Locking mechanism for folding tops



Feb. 19, 1952 (1. E. HALE ET AL LOCKING MECHANISM FOR FOLDING TOPS 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Nov. 12, 1948 INVENTORS Gui/0R0 A. HALE c KEN/VA C- E- HALE ET AL LOCKING MECHANISM FOR FOLDING TOPS Filed NOV. 12, 1948' Feb. 19," I952 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTORS E l/AAE' zN'Ks' C2 #vo/w W/ll/AM 4. MC KEN/VA BY x Patented Feb. 19, 1952 LOCKING MECHANISM FOR FOLDING'TOPS- Clifford E. Hale, Ann Arbor, and William L. McKenna, Ypsilanti, Mich., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Detroit Harvester Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application November 12, 1948, Serial No. 59,524

The present invention relates to locking mechanism for folding tops of vehicle bodies of the convertible type.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a folding top for a motor vehicle in which the front edge portion of said folding top is provided with a movable header bar which moves substantially horizontally into proximity to a fixed header bar located above the windshield and in which means are provided for drawing the two header bars into abutting relation. It is a further object of the present invention to-provide locking mechanism for drawing the header bars into abutment which comprises camming and over-center locking mechanism.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide locking mechanism for folding tops characterized by its economy of manufacture, its attractive appearance, its ease of operation and by the fact that it may be employed to effect final movement of the movable header bar into abutting relation with the fixed header bar.

- Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds, es-

pecially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a portion of a motor vehicle showing the folding top in closed position;

Figure 2' is a top plan elevation of the looking mechanism; Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2 -Figure 4 is a section on the line i l of Figure 3; f Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2;- and Figure 6 is a fragmentary longitudinal section through the linkage illustrating the adjustment means provided therefor. Referring first to Figure 1, there is illustrated a motor vehicle I!) having a windshield H provided with a transversely extending fixed windshield header I2. Secured adjacent the rear portion of the body is a folding top 13 which comprises a movable header ill at the forward edge thereof, a plurality of transversely extending crossbows l5 and a flexible cover material It which may be waterproof fabric or the like.

Referring now to Figures 3 and 5, the fixed windshield-header I2 is formed of shaped flat metal stock and is of hollow cross section. It is provided with'a rearwardly facing wall at the lower edge of which is provided a rearwardly and upwardly inclined flange 2|. The forward edge. of the folding top comprises a movable 3 Claims. (Cl. 296-) header I4 which is of hollow cross section as indicated and is provided with a forwardly and downwardly opening recess 23 at its lower edge. Adjacent its upper corner is an upwardly opening channel 25 inwhich is mounted a tacking strip 26 to which the forward portion of the cover material it is tacked or otherwise secured as indicated at 21. Intermediate the channel 25 and the recess 23 the movable header I I is provided with a generally vertically extending front face 28. The flange 2i is preferably provided with a sealing gasket 29 shaped to inter fit with the recess 23 so as to form therewith a weather-tight seal. The construction just described forms a drainage gutter 30, the bottom of which is provided by the flange 2| and the sides of which are provided by the confronting faces 20 and 28 of thetwo header bars.

The movable header bar I4 is mounted on the vehicle by suitable linkage (not shown) which serves to guide the movable header bar in a predetermined path and causes the header bar, as it approaches the fixed header bar I2, to move in a substantially horizontal path. This permits much easier closing of the top since the final forward position of the top is determined solely by engagement with the fixed header bar at the top of the windshield. The present invention further improves the ease of operation, inasmuch as it provides camming mechanism between the two header bars which interengage and serve to draw the movable header bar horizontally into abutting relation with the fixed header bar.

Inasmuch as the upwardly and rearwardly inclined flange 2| is tojsome degree flexible, the movement of the movable header bar l4 into proper seating and sealing relation with the fixed header bar l2 need not be at a precisely predetermined point. Thus, for example. if the movable header bar I4 is moved slightly forward from the closed position illustrated in Figure 3 it will have the effect only of effecting compression of the gasket 29 and possibly slight upward and forward flexing of the flange 2 I. This is to be contrasted with previously known constructions in which the top was extended to a definite predetermined position as a result of extension of linkage mechanism, after which the extended top was drawn downwardly over upwardly extending posts carried at the upper surface of the windshield header-bar. This usually resulted in some lack of registration between the openings in the movable header bar which were supposed to receive the posts and considerable difliculty was not un usual in effecting engagement between the header otherwise secured to the front wall 28 of the movable header bar I4, as clearly illustrated in Figures 2 and 5. The lug 32 has an upwardly ex tending cam-engaging post 33-. Located inside the hollow fixed header [2 is amounting. bracket 35 to which is pivoted a camming and lockinglever 36, the pivot being illustrated at 31. The lever 36 is provided with a downwardly extending camming and locking flange 38. The lever 36 is illustrated in locked position in FigureZ andfrom an inspection of this figure it is apparent that after the forward edge of the camming surface 38 has engaged the post-33, continued rotation of the lever 36 tothe position illustrated will serve to. draw the movable header bar M for wardly.

The brackets 35 are located within the hollow interior of the fixed header bars i2 and the rearwardly facing walls thereof are provided with openings 49' through which the camming and locking portions of the levers 36 extend. able mechanism now to bedescribed for operating the. levers 36 is also housed within the hollow interior'of the fixed header bars i2.

y The operating mechanism comprises links-4i,

each of which is made up of a pair of link ele- 2;

ments 42 and 43 which are: interconnected, as best illustrated in Figure 6,.-to provide for adjustment as to length. For this purpose a portion of the links 42 and.43 adjacent the ends thereof is -serrated as indicated at 44. to provide a: firm interlock between the serrated surfaces. The link .42 is provided with elongated slots. 45 through which extend clamping screws 46' which are threaded into tappedopenings 41 provided in the other link element 43.. By virtue of this construction, the length of the links may be adjusted so as to: vary the final pcsitionof the movable header bar M or to compensate for wear of the parts.

As best seeninFigures 2 and 4,.a singleoperating handle 50 is'provided which operates both of the camming. and locking mechanisms; simultaneously. The handlefiil extendsdownwardly from the underside-of. the fixedheader; bar l2, aswell illustratedinFigure 1. The handle 5ll is provided with an operating shaft 523 whichis keyed or otherwise secured thereto and-which ex tends through a mounting journal 53. provided with a mounting plate 54. Theplate-54 is located at the underside of the header bar l 2 and has acentral proj ection 54- that extends through an opening in said header bar and througha backing plate 55} the plates 54 and 55 being interconnected by'suitable means such as the screws 56. A double a'ctuatingto'ggle plateis mounted on the upper end'of the shaft 52', the reducedpo'r' tion of the shaft 52, as seen in Figure 4, being squared and'received in a correspondingly shaped opening in the toggle plate 60. As. illustrated in this figure, the end of thereduoed portion of theshaitis riveted over to. retain the toggle. plate 69 in position. The toggle plate 50: base-first arm .62 to which oneof the-links-M. is pivoted,,as indicated at 64 and hasa second arm 66 which is offset upwardly abovethe plane of the first Ellitthe top is in fully closed or extended position, it will be observed that the center lines of thelinks 4| have both passed over-center so that 'the camming; levers 36 are 'firmlylocke'd in the illustrated position. In order to release the movable header bar for opening movement of the top, the operating handle 50 will be rotated in counterclockwise direction, as seen in Figure 2 and as-indicated by the arrow 70. This will cause the inner ends ofrthe links 41 to move overce'nte'r with: respect to the pivot axis provided by the shaft- 52. The mechanism is designed such that levers 36 are moved from the closed position shown to their releasing position and vice verse by approximately of movement of the operating handle 50.

The drawings and the foregoing. specification constitute a description of the improved locking mechanism for folding tops insuch full, clear, concise and exactterms as to enable any person skilled in the art topractice the invention,.-the scope of which isindicated by the appended claims.

What we claim as our invention is:- V

i. In a vehicle body of the convertible type, a pair of hollow transversely extendingv barsarranged side by side in substantially a horizontal plane with the opposed-walls thereofspaced apart in substantially parallel relation toeachother, one of said bars being afixed windshieldheader. and the other being. a, header of a folding. top for said vehicle body andmovable substantially horizontally to and from said fixed windshield. header, and mechanism for locking-saidmovable header to said windshield. header, including two lugs of substantially J-cross section'located in the space between the opposed walls of said header bars, said lugs respectively having their longer leg portions fixed to the front wall of said movable header bar adjacent opposite ends thereof and having their shorter front legportionsproviding cam posts, two levers respectively adjacent opposite ends of said fixed header'bar saidlevers extending. freely through the rear wall ofsaid windshield header and mountedwithinthelatter to swing substantially horizontally,..the outer-free ends of said levers having downwardly extending cam flanges engageable with the cam posts aforesaid to'cam said movable header substantially horizontally into theside by side relationaforesaid with said windshield header,. arotatable operating handle beneath said windshield header at apoint substantially midway the endsthereof and having a shaft extending upwardly'i'nt'o' said windshield header, a toggleplate rigid with said shaft and having two arms atsubstantially diametrically opposite points of said shaft oneofsaid arms being offset relative to the other and means within said windshield header andopenable by said toggle plate'for actuating said levels;

2. In a vehicle body of the convertible type; a-pair of hollow transversely extendingbars arranged side by side in substantially. a horizontal planewith the-opposedwalls thereof spaced -apar-t in substantially parallel relation to eachother, one of saidbars being a fixed windshield header, and the other being. a header of a-foldingtop for said vehiclebody. and movable substantially horizontally to and from said fixed windshield header; and mechanism forlockingsaid movable header to said windshield header, including-. two

lugs of substantially J-cross section located in the space between the opposed walls of said header bars, said lugs respectively having their longer leg portions fixed to the front wall of said movable header bar adjacent opposite ends thereof and having their shorter front leg portions providing cam posts, two levers respectively adjacent opposite ends of said fixed header bar, said levers extending freely through the rear wall of said, windshield header and mounted within the latter to swing substantially horizontally, the outer free ends of said levers having downwardly extending cam flanges engageable with the cam posts aforesaid to cam said movable header substantially horizontally into the side by side relation aforesaid with said windshield header, a rotatable operating handle beneath said windshield header at a point substantially midway the ends thereof and having a shaft extending upwardly into said windshield header, a toggle plate rigid with said shaft and having two arms at substantially diametrically opposite points of said shaft, one of said arms being offset relative to the other, a, link terminally connected to one of said arms and to one of said levers,- and a link terminally connected to the other of said arms and to the other of said levers, said links being movable by said arms to an over-center position with respect to the axis of said shaft to hold said levers in engagement with said posts.

3. In a vehicle body of the convertible type a pair of hollow transversely extending bars arranged side by side in substantially a horizontal plane with the opposed walls thereof extending substantially vertically and spaced apart in sub stantially parallel relation to each other, one of said bars being a fixed windshield header, the

other of said bars being a header for a folding top for said vehicle body and movable substantially horizontally to and from said fixed windshield header, and mechanism for locking said movable header to said windshield header, including two lugs of substantially J-cross-section located in the space between the opposed vertical walls of said headers, said lugs respectively having their longer leg portions fixed to the vertical wall of one of said header adjacent opposite ends thereof and having their shorter leg portions providin cam posts, two levers respectively adjacent opposite ends of the other header, said levers extending freely through the vertical wall thereof and mounted within the said other header to swing substantially horizontally, the outer free ends of said levers having downwardly extending cam flanges engageable with the cam posts aforesaid, to cam said movable header substantially horizontally into the side by side relation aforesaid with said fixed header, a rotatable operating handle beneath the header containing said levers at a point substantially midway the ends thereof and having a shaft extending upwardly into the interior thereof, a toggle plate rigid with said shaft and having two arms at substantially diametrically opposite points of said shaft, oneof said arms being offset relative to the other, and links connecting said arms and said levers for actuating said levers upon rotation of said operating handle.

CLIFFORD E. HALE. WILLIAM L. MCKENNA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 23,007 Vigmostad et al. June 15, 1948 2,155,275 King Apr. 18, 1939 2,201,330 Wernig et a1. May 21, 1940 2,305,715 Keller Dec. 22, 1942 2,360,524 Simpson Oct. 1'7, 1944 2,486,905 Ackermans Nov. 1, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Numbe Country Date 306,817 Italy Apr. 1, 1933 323,065 Great Britain Dec. 24, 1929 528,303 Great Britain Oct. 25, 1940 691,066 Germany May 15, 1940 

